"Every time history repeats itself, the price goes up." Anonymous
As time has progressed from ancient to present, man has made countless mistakes - and all to often, they are with a heavy price. Not only were they often expensive in terms of money, they also put lives at stake, and forced people to make sacrifices in their own lives. Man has trouble learning from what they have already done; rather, they keep making mistakes at increasing levels, until, ultimately the price to pay for man's mistake will be all that we know and love.
"Those who can not remember the past are condemned to repeat it." George Santayana
Humans have an unhappy habit of forgetting the past - and in doing so, forget the consequences of mistakes made in the past. Of course, then they do it again. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results. If humans cannot realize that what they are doing has already been done, with not always pleasant results, then we are doomed to have an eternal cycle of mistakes and consequences.
"The disadvantage of men not knowing the past is that they do not know the present. History is a hill or a high point of vantage, from which alone men can see the town in which they live or the age in which they are living." G.K. Chesterton
A nation's history makes it what it is. Without history, a nation has no way of defining what they are or how they got there. Until we understand how things both positive and negative occurred in the past, we have no way of explaining the present or predicting the future.
Book 1
1. Life in a Castle
2. Kay Eastwood3. The book talks about life in castles, different types of castles, how to defend them, different parts of a castle, and the end of castles.
4. Castles were often built on hills because they could then see enemies coming from far away, and castles on hills were also more difficult to attack. Most of the food for the castle community came from the surrounding land, owned by nobles and farmed by peasants.
Book 2
1. Food and Feasts in the Middle Ages
2. Lynne Elliot
3. What types of food were eaten, how they were farmed, herbs and spices as medicine, markets, shops and trading.
4. Food was ranked in importance by how close it was to heaven; game birds, which were close to heaven, were served on nobles' tables, whereas vegetables, furthest from heaven, were what would be found on a peasant's table. Table manners were very important at a noble's table: you ate with your hands, so wash your hands before the meal and no picking teeth, noses, or nails; you share wine goblets, so wipe your mouth before using them; take small bites and eat slowly.
Book 3
1. The Canterbury Tales
2. Geoffrey Chaucer (retold by Geraldine McCaughrean)
3. Assortment of wise, ironic, funny stories told by a variety of medieval characters (the Knight, the Wife of Bath, the Miller, etc.)
4. "fart" appears in The Canterbury Tales;
Book 4
1. The Unicorn Tapestries
2. Adolfo Salvatore Cavallo
3. The Unicorn Tapestries: the tapestries that show the hunt of the unicorn; talks about the meaning, interpretations, and symbols
4. The unicorn may be a strong reference to Christ, and many of the other things shown in the tapestries represent something pertaining to his story, especially of his martyrdom and of the Virgin Mary. Tapestries were used not only to decorate and provide some insulation for castles, but also to show status. These tapestries were made of silks, wool, gold, and silver.
1. What are the factors that lead us to refer to the Medieval Period as "The Dark Ages"?
Many aspects of life in the "Dark Ages" could be called dark. It was a time of many bloody battles, questionable religion, relatively nonexistent hygiene, and countless diseases - especially the Plague. Life looked bleak, but those who survived the countless adversities were able to continue on with life to the best of their abilities.
2. Describe why this 1000 year time period is referred to as "The Middle Ages".
The phrase "middle ages" refers to the fact that the era was primarily a transition period. The world underwent massive changes, but ultimately bounced back to make its way through a new time - the Renaissance.
3. What is the medieval art form that interests you the most? (see the art and architecture link)
To me, one of the most interesting art forms is the castles. I love not only the architecture and the way they are built, but also learning about the way daily life was run in a castle and all of the little details that generally made them such strongholds.
4. Considering the visual art and architecture of this time period, what do you predict the music of this period to sound like?
When I see a lot of the medieval art and architecture, I think of Greensleeves. I imagine a lot of "religious-sounding" music, and music like the Gregorian chants. Relatively simple in instrumentation (a lot of today's instruments haven't been invented yet!).
5. Listen to the "Music of the time of the Crusades" link and describe some characteristics of musical elements that are present in this example.
Monophonic - lyre solo. Not much dynamic difference. Steady beat/tempo.
As time has progressed from ancient to present, man has made countless mistakes - and all to often, they are with a heavy price. Not only were they often expensive in terms of money, they also put lives at stake, and forced people to make sacrifices in their own lives. Man has trouble learning from what they have already done; rather, they keep making mistakes at increasing levels, until, ultimately the price to pay for man's mistake will be all that we know and love.
"Those who can not remember the past are condemned to repeat it." George Santayana
Humans have an unhappy habit of forgetting the past - and in doing so, forget the consequences of mistakes made in the past. Of course, then they do it again. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results. If humans cannot realize that what they are doing has already been done, with not always pleasant results, then we are doomed to have an eternal cycle of mistakes and consequences.
"The disadvantage of men not knowing the past is that they do not know the present. History is a hill or a high point of vantage, from which alone men can see the town in which they live or the age in which they are living." G.K. Chesterton
A nation's history makes it what it is. Without history, a nation has no way of defining what they are or how they got there. Until we understand how things both positive and negative occurred in the past, we have no way of explaining the present or predicting the future.
Book 1
1. Life in a Castle
2. Kay Eastwood3. The book talks about life in castles, different types of castles, how to defend them, different parts of a castle, and the end of castles.
4. Castles were often built on hills because they could then see enemies coming from far away, and castles on hills were also more difficult to attack. Most of the food for the castle community came from the surrounding land, owned by nobles and farmed by peasants.
Book 2
1. Food and Feasts in the Middle Ages
2. Lynne Elliot
3. What types of food were eaten, how they were farmed, herbs and spices as medicine, markets, shops and trading.
4. Food was ranked in importance by how close it was to heaven; game birds, which were close to heaven, were served on nobles' tables, whereas vegetables, furthest from heaven, were what would be found on a peasant's table. Table manners were very important at a noble's table: you ate with your hands, so wash your hands before the meal and no picking teeth, noses, or nails; you share wine goblets, so wipe your mouth before using them; take small bites and eat slowly.
Book 3
1. The Canterbury Tales
2. Geoffrey Chaucer (retold by Geraldine McCaughrean)
3. Assortment of wise, ironic, funny stories told by a variety of medieval characters (the Knight, the Wife of Bath, the Miller, etc.)
4. "fart" appears in The Canterbury Tales;
Book 4
1. The Unicorn Tapestries
2. Adolfo Salvatore Cavallo
3. The Unicorn Tapestries: the tapestries that show the hunt of the unicorn; talks about the meaning, interpretations, and symbols
4. The unicorn may be a strong reference to Christ, and many of the other things shown in the tapestries represent something pertaining to his story, especially of his martyrdom and of the Virgin Mary. Tapestries were used not only to decorate and provide some insulation for castles, but also to show status. These tapestries were made of silks, wool, gold, and silver.
1. What are the factors that lead us to refer to the Medieval Period as "The Dark Ages"?
Many aspects of life in the "Dark Ages" could be called dark. It was a time of many bloody battles, questionable religion, relatively nonexistent hygiene, and countless diseases - especially the Plague. Life looked bleak, but those who survived the countless adversities were able to continue on with life to the best of their abilities.
2. Describe why this 1000 year time period is referred to as "The Middle Ages".
The phrase "middle ages" refers to the fact that the era was primarily a transition period. The world underwent massive changes, but ultimately bounced back to make its way through a new time - the Renaissance.
3. What is the medieval art form that interests you the most? (see the art and architecture link)
To me, one of the most interesting art forms is the castles. I love not only the architecture and the way they are built, but also learning about the way daily life was run in a castle and all of the little details that generally made them such strongholds.
4. Considering the visual art and architecture of this time period, what do you predict the music of this period to sound like?
When I see a lot of the medieval art and architecture, I think of Greensleeves. I imagine a lot of "religious-sounding" music, and music like the Gregorian chants. Relatively simple in instrumentation (a lot of today's instruments haven't been invented yet!).
5. Listen to the "Music of the time of the Crusades" link and describe some characteristics of musical elements that are present in this example.
Monophonic - lyre solo. Not much dynamic difference. Steady beat/tempo.